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Do you love animals? Do you believe that all cats and dogs deserve to live in a nice home with a loving family? If you answered “yes” to either question, the Town of Hempstead Animal Shelter wants YOU to volunteer for “The Little One Fostering Program.”

“So many animals have the potential to be loving companions for the right family, and foster volunteers can help provide training and socialization to help the animals become more adoptable,” said Hempstead Town Animal Shelter Volunteer Coordinator Dolores Stormo. “In the town’s Pet Foster Program, volunteers will be making a direct positive impact on the lives of animals.”

Volunteers for foster program can help the animals in many different ways: a baby kitten may need to be bottle-fed, a dog may require some behavioral training, and all animals will appreciate the added love and attention. The Animal Shelter will provide a foster home with training, food, supplies and medical care for the duration of the animal’s stay, which will vary from case to case.

Foster volunteers will report back to the Animal Shelter’s Volunteer Coordinator on a regular basis. This allows the Animal Shelter to monitor the animals’ progress and provide any assistance that foster families may need.

At the end of the animal’s stay with the foster family, the cat/dog will return to the Animal Shelter in Wantagh, where he/she will wait to be adopted by a loving family who will provide them with a permanent home. Foster families do have the option to adopt their new friend, rather than having the shelter make the animal available for adoption.

“The Town of Hempstead Foster Program will help teach our homeless animals to be terrific house pets, greatly increasing their chances of being adopted by a loving family,” concluded Stormo. “I encourage all our residents to consider the benefits of being a foster volunteer – you can make a real difference for these great cats and dogs.”

Animal Shelter staff will be holding two free seminars so that prospective volunteers can learn more about this great program. The dates are: Thursday, March 29 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, April 14 at 11 a.m. Both seminars will be held in the Old Courtroom at Hempstead Town Hall, located on the second floor at 350 Front Street, Hempstead, NY 11550.

Prospective volunteers must fill out an application and schedule an interview with the Animal Shelter’s Volunteer Coordinator. Volunteer applications are available at www.toh.li/animal-shelter. For more information, please call the Town of Hempstead Animal Shelter at (516) 785-5220 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. You can also visit the Animal Shelter's Facebook page.